Bass Neck String Nut Options

The string nut is what dictates both the spacing (or pitch) of the strings and their height above the frets. This is a critical
component in the action of the instrument. Each string nut must be cut to the specific dimensions of the neck it
will be used on.

Bass Neck String Nut Materials

Materials

Characteristics/Applications

Sound

Workability

Bone

Hard material with a vintage look, must be cut cleanly to keep strings from binding in slots.

Bright and clear, with a detailed sound.

Hard, dense material. Bad-smelling dust.

Brass

Hard material polishes well and looks good with gold hardware. Great sustain for bass and slide guitar playing.

Bright with very good sustain.

Slow-working, dust can clog files, gets hot when power-sanded.

Nickel

Made of the same material as our fretwire (18% hard nickel/silver) so it matches sound & look of frets. Polishes well.

Very bright with excellent articulation and sustain.

Very slow working, gets hot when power-sanded.

Graph Tech TUSQ

A Graph Tech proprietary material which is precision engineered under high pressure and heat. It is specifically formulated to deliver an optimum sonic transfer rate. Stringent production methods create consistent material that is rich in tone and harmonic content. Standard TUSQ will have a slightly brighter sound than the Black TUSQ XL.

Evenly balanced tone.

Easy to cut, less shaping required with pre-molded blanks.

Graph Tech Black TUSQ XL

Black TUSQ XL is a similar material to standard TUSQ but is also Teflon impregnated. Teflon is 500% slipperier than graphite. This is great for use on electric guitars that get tremolo use or have tuning stability issues. It is also great for someone who bends notes often.

Well balanced tone with a bit more warmth.

Easy to cut, less shaping required with pre-molded blanks.

Corian

Hard synthetic material takes a fine finish and is available in large oversized blanks.

Balanced, clear, even sound.

Cuts slowly but evenly.

Precut & Installed Nuts

Precision cut for your specific neck

(Guitar nut pictured)

We have built a system for precision cutting nuts to fit our necks. The cutting and shaping is
done by a bench top CNC mill. Every nut is custom cut to the specific neck dimensions with the result being a nearly perfect nut, compensated for fret height, nut width, fingerboard radius, etc. Nuts must be ordered at the same time as the neck to insure compatibility.

Tech Tips:

There is a popular misconception that one may buy generic nuts to fit existing necks. If optimum results are
expected, this simply is not so. A nut must be cut to specific geometric parameters to function properly and these
parameters are dictated by the type of neck it is to be used on and the angle with which the strings break from the nut towards
the individual tuners.